Up Your Game with National Board Certification
Mary Bannister is a Seattle teacher-librarian at Louisa Boren STEM K-8, and is Nationally Board Certified. She also works closely with digital literacy.
Why did you decide to become nationally board certified?
I had a lot of great support from colleagues that had been certified, especially my mentor, Chris Gustafson. The City University also had a program that aligned with National Board, so I received my Master’s degree at the same time with three teacher-librarian colleagues in Seattle.
Was their value in the certification process?
Yes! You know, it takes over a year and the reflection process was a huge professional development experience for me. I’m reflective already, but getting certified calls for a lot of self-reflection.
There were also good references I could bring back to my school with me like the Architecture of Accomplished Teaching “Helix,” which is great, I can refer back to that. It is all about designing lessons, setting goals and thinking about how to achieve them, its great teaching practice.
Would you recommend getting certified to other educators or librarians?
I would not recommend it to first or second year teachers, typically. National Board has its own language and you really have to wrap your head around the writing style they want to see. You have to do a lot of analysis. First year teachers should really focus on learning their classroom and school.
Getting certified in a teacher’s third or fourth year is probably a good idea, then you’re ready to look beyond that classroom and really reflect.
How long have you been certified?
This is my eighth year and I am up for renewal. It is an abbreviated process; it’s not like getting certified for the first time all over again. Washington has done a good job of developing programming for us to be successful. I did a one-day professional development called Jump Start. It helps explain the components of getting your renewal and shows you what evidence looks like.
Any ideas about what you are going to submit this year to obtain your renewal?
In the Spring I led a PLC [professional learning community] literacy meeting and I was able to tape that. I still have decide which student video I am going to submit.
I know I am going to do “Digital Citizenship” and I am working a committee with OSPI’s Dennis Small on the updated state Educational Technology Standards [http://www.k12.wa.us/EdTech/Standards/].These will be revised standards for students which will also address Internet safety and digital citizenship, I am not sure a lot of teachers know that.
I am going to showcase elements of digital citizenship and in the reflection process, you have to ask what worked, what you’d change, what professional development do you need and how will that impact learning. There needs to be a connection between what I learn and what happens in the classroom.
Do you have any advice for teachers considering getting certified?
They should go into it for the right reasons. I wanted the professional challenge and motivation. Sometimes there is a stipend associated with getting it, but I don’t think you should do it for that reason. You want to do it to up your game.
Another benefit is that your certification travels with you. If you move to another state, if you’re a person who moves, it’s a great opportunity for professional development that is nation-wide.
